Nadarzyn Jewish Cemetery

The first records of Jewish settlement in Nadarzyn date to 1507. In 1921, 431 Jews lived in the town (33.6% of the total population), most of whom were murdered in 1942 by the Germans in Treblinka. The cemetery is located about 1.5 km northeast of the centre of Nadarzyn and is within the administrative boundaries of the village of Kajetany, on a hill, on Mokra Street, within the geodetic plot no. 34, covering an area of approximately 3.9 hectares. The cemetery’s establishment date is unknown, though—according to records—it was in existence before 1780 and served as the burial place for deceased people in the vicinity of Warsaw. The first mention of the cemetery is in in archival documents from the Register of Synagogue Districts of Mazowieckie Voivodeship from 1829, which states: “The already standing fence needs to be extended with a 250 ells-long fence.”

The cemetery was in use until World War II. During this period, the cemetery was devasted, a process to which some local residents contributed. In the period of the Polish People’s Republic, the area was planted with forest, and the remaining tombstones were buried. As a result of the demolition, only single, destructed sandstone stelae and tombs can be found. During an inspection in 2009, numerous lower fragments of broken tombstones in a row arrangement, covered with a 40 cm layer of sand, were discovered. The borders of the cemetery are partially visible thanks to an earth embankment. The area is covered with coniferous forest. In 2009, local community workers carried out some cleaning work. Their initiatives to commemorate the cemetery were informal. In 2013, people associated with the website www.cmentarza-zydowskie.pl and the project “Ulica Żydowska” placed an information board at the cemetery. The owner of the cemetery is the Jewish Community in Warsaw.